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Poet Martin Espada remembers James Foley as a man of 'strong principles'

James Foley

In this November 2012, file photo, posted on the website freejamesfoley.org, shows American journalist James Foley while covering the civil war in Aleppo, Syria. In a horrifying act of revenge for U.S. airstrikes in northern Iraq, militants with the Islamic State extremist group have beheaded Foley — and are threatening to kill another hostage, U.S. officials say. Foley was a UMass MFA graduate.
(Nicole Tung)

AMHERST – Poet Martin Espada remembers James Foley as a man of "deep sensitivities, a young man of strong principles."

He was not surprised then that Foley decided to leave the world of fiction and poetry for journalism – and write from a war-torn region.

Foley, a 2003 University of Massachusetts MFA graduate, was killed by ISIS, a death shown in a video online Tuesday. He had been taken hostage in November of 2012.

This was the second time he had been captured. In 2011 he was imprisoned by Libyan soldiers loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and was jailed for 44 days before being released.

Foley, 40, from Rochester, New Hampshire, went missing in northern Syria while freelancing for Agence France-Presse and the Boston-based media company GlobalPost.

Espada, who taught Foley at UMass and was on his graduate committee, said that returning to the war zone "speaks volumes about his courage and integrity."

He said he wouldn't have been surprised if Foley "would find another way to honor his principals and tell his stories but on another level, I shouldn't have been surprised at all. This was Jim Foley we're talking about."

Espada said he hadn't been in contact with Foley, 40, for a number of years but he remembers him well. "He was a young man of very acute intelligence."

He said the qualities of sensitivity, and principles "came out in everything he did and everything he said." And "he was a natural born story teller. I was not surprised (he chose) journalism as a career. I was not surprised that he made his way to some of the war-torn areas of the world."

He said when they talked about Foley's future he wanted to do something meaningful in life. He wasn't interested in just getting a job. He wanted to make a contribution.

He said he is heartsick about what happened.

Benjamin Balthaser, a fellow writing student, remembers how kind Foley was. "Graduate school can me a really competitive place. I remember just how open and generous he was. There was just an aura of generosity about him. He really cared about people."

He said Foley "was committed to telling the truth. When he was fiction a writer, I remember he was someone who was incredibly dedicated to telling the truth through writing. Very committed to the principals of justice. He was incredibly kind and open to other people."

He added, "This is what came together for him when he decided to become a journalist. He was aware of the danger. He felt like someone needed to tell that story, why not me."

"The reported death of American journalist James Foley, a University of Massachusetts Amherst alumnus, brings great sorrow and grief to the university community," according to a posting from UMass. Foley was a 2003 MFA graduate.

"Foley is remembered as a courageous journalist who spent his time reporting stories from some of the world's most dangerous places. "The UMass community offers heartfelt wishes of support and healing to his family and friends in this most difficult time."

On the Facebook page Find James Foley, his mother Diane Foley posted a message last night.

"We have never been prouder of our son Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people. We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world. We thank Jim for all the joy he gave us. He was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person. Please respect our privacy in the days ahead as we mourn and cherish Jim."